February 2, 2011

Long Time No Post by Dena Yllescas

It's been quite a while since the last time I've written on here. The girls and I have been really busy. The 2nd week in December, Julia and I left for the Snowball Express once again. This year it was in Texas again but we got to leave out of Kansas City. They had a chartered plane for us that only Snowball Families were on. It was so much fun. The pilots and flight attendants all volunteered their time to do these flights. It was pretty much a party on a plane-complete with a silly string fight! While there, we went to the Mesquite Rodeo again and saw Gary Sinese and the Lt Dan Band perform, Southfork Ranch where the TV show Dallas was filmed, a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet, Six Flags amusement park and entertainment from a magician and so much more! We had so much fun. The patriot guard riders were there escorting us on their motorcycles everywhere we went. Dallas once again shut down the interstate for us so we wouldn't have to wait in traffic and the police officers who helped with this were also volunteering their time. This is such an amazing organization. There were so many families there and everyone was smiling.

Sgt. Mike Stokely died Aug. 16, 2005, in Iraq. He was one of those
extraordinary young men who have a tremendous impact on so many people
even though his time among us was cut short.
To honor his memory, Stokely's family has organized the Mike Stokely
Foundation for the purpose of helping children and others who might not
otherwise be able to afford it gain access to good books and the skills
needed to read them for pleasure and learning.
"Mike loved to read, from the time he was a small child till the day he
died in Iraq. In fact, during the last call his Dad received on Aug. 8,
2005, he talked in glowing terms about how much he appreciated reading
material sent to him," his family explains.
If you would like to help honor the memory of one of America's fallen,
more information about the Mike Stokely Foundation at P. O. Box 833 Sharpsburg GA 30277.
The telephone is 678-416-1387